Books From The Society Of Swedish Literature In Finland

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foreign rights Books from the Society of Swedish Literature in Finland Society of Swedish Literature in Finland SLS publishes approximately 15 titles each year Scholarship and culture T he Society of Swedish Literature in Finland (SLS) is a non-profit scholarly society founded in 1885. Its purpose is to disseminate knowledge about Finland’s Swedish-language culture. SLS publishes works of scholarship and nonfiction about the culture, language, society and history of ­Finland’s Swedish-speaking minority. Swedish is the Society’s principal language of publication. SLS also specializes in scholarly, annotated editions of works by literary authors and of historical source material such as letters, diaries and travel books. SLS is one of the leading publishers of critical editions in the Nordic region and is a pioneer in the development of digital publishing platforms for such editions. In addition to book publishing, SLS maintains archives and libraries, supports research, and awards literary and research prizes and scholarships. SLS’s activity is made possible by private donations. Today, SLS is one of the largest managers of private charitable funds in Finland. in Swedish Finland-Swedish culture Swedish is one of Finland’s two national languages, enjoying equal official status with Finnish. A large number of organizations and media operate in Swedish. The Swedish-­ speaking population is entitled to – inter alia – education, health care and government service in their own mother tongue. The Swedish-speaking minority makes up about 6% of the population. Sustainable publishing SLS places great emphasis both on the editorial processing of its books and on their graphic design. The publisher’s motto – “Sustainable Publishing” – stands for a high level of scholarship and non-fiction writing, continuity over time, and ­environmental awareness in production. All publications have undergone peer review. Several of SLS’s authors have won national and international awards, and many titles have been acknowledged for their graphic ­design. Most of the books are richly illustrated, and a large share of the pictures come from SLS’s own extensive archives. A number of SLS’s titles reach the book market in Sweden through collaboration with Swedish publishers. Georg August Wallin Scholarly editions D uring the 1840s the Orientalist G.A. Wallin travelled in the Middle East in order to collect material on Arabic dialects. Wallin was born in Åland and studied Oriental literature in Helsinki and St. Petersburg – Finland was then a Grand Duchy of Russia. Wallin’s teacher in St. Petersburg, Sheikh Mohammad al-Tantawi of Egypt, inspired him to conduct research into spoken Arabic. For seven years Wallin travelled in Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula, the Sinai Peninsula, Persia and Syro-Palestine to gather material for his research and document the everyday life of the population. His unique material is preserved in diaries and letters, as well as in notes made in Swedish but with Arabic script. In order to make contact with the population he disguised himself as a Muslim under an assumed identity, and was therefore also able to visit Mecca and Medina. After his travels Wallin was appointed Professor of Oriental Literature in Helsinki. He was viewed as an eminent scholar by his contemporaries, and he published a few articles in English and German. But shortly after his return to Finland he died, and his research material, written in Swedish, remained inaccessible to the international research community. The publication of the material as a scholary edition is under way (see next page). Georg August Wallin Skrifter (Writings) Edited by Kaj Öhrnberg and Patricia Berg Skrifter is a scholarly edition of Wallin’s posthumous papers. Each volume contains articles that contextualize the material. The diaries, letters and notes are accompanied by an extensive critical apparatus. 1. Studietiden och resan till Alexandria (Student years and journey to Alexandria), 455pp., 2010, ISBN 978-951-583-189-7 2. Det första året i Egypten 1843–1844 (The first year in Egypt 1843–1844), 465 pp., 2011, ISBN 978-951-583-227-6 3. Kairo och resan till Övre Egypten 1844–1845 (Cairo and journey to Upper Egypt 1844–1845), 482 pp., 2012, ISBN 978-951-583-249-8 4. Färderna till Mekka och Jerusalem 1845–1847 (Journey to Mecca and Jerusalem 1845–1847), 535 pp., 2013, ISBN 978-951-583-269-6 5. Norra Arabiska halvön och Persien 1847–1849 (Northern Arabian Peninsula and Persia 1847–1849), circa 550 pp., 2014, ISBN 978-951-583-285-6 6. Alexandria och London 1849–1850 (Alexandria and London 1849–1850), forthcoming 2015 7. Helsingfors 1850–1852 (Helsinki 1850–1852), forthcoming 2016 Dolce far niente in Arabia Georg August Wallin and his travels in the 1840s ed. Nina Edgren-Henrichson Georg August Wallin’s life and travels in Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula and Persia are presented in four articles by Patricia Berg, Sofia Häggman, Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila and Kaj Öhrnberg ­respectively. Wallin’s impact as an ethnographic observer and linguistic scholar is also examined. circa 150 pp., 2014, ISBN 978-951-583-290-0 Published in English in collaboration with Museum Tusculanum Press Sofia Häggman ”Alldeles hemlikt” Georg August Wallins Egypten 1843–1845 (“Quite like home”. The Egypt of Georg August Wallin, 1843–1845) Cairo was Georg August Wallin’s base for his expeditions in the Middle East. With Wallin’s vivid travel diaries as a guide, the Egyptologist Sofia Häggman follows his footsteps from the alleys of Alexandria streets and the caravanserai of Cairo to the villages and ancient monuments of the Egyptian countryside. What did Wallin see there, and what remains of it today? 463 pp., 2011, ISBN 978-951-583-231-3 Henry Parland, Writings Henry Parland Sönder (om framkallning av Veloxpapper) Scholarly editions (Henry Parland, Skrifter) (To Pieces (on the developing of Velox paper)) H The fictional Henry Parland decides to write a book about his dead girlfriend Ami. It is easier said than done – her ­image escapes him even though he relives their time together from photo­ graphs. To Pieces is a meta-novel inspired by Marcel Proust and Russian Formalism, but also a love story and a novel about the Helsinki of the 1920s. Henry Parland wrote the novel for a competition, but died a few months before the competition deadline. hardback: 201 pp., 2005, ISBN 951-583-120-2 paperback (without critical notes): 145 pp., 2014, ISBN 978-951-583-277-1 enry Parland (1908–1930) was one of the leading modernists writing in Swedish in Finland and perhaps the most modern of them all. He was especially interested in urban phenomena like technology, advertising and cinema, and was Finland’s first real film critic. Parland’s novel Sönder (To Pieces) has been translated into German, English, Finnish, French, Russian, Spanish and Lithuanian. Selections of his poetry have also appeared in a number of languages, including English and German. A critical edition of Sönder appeared in 2005. In 2015 SLS will begin the publication of Parland’s complete works. Edith Södergran’s collected writings (Edith Södergrans samlade skrifter) E dith Södergran (1892–1923) was the first real modernist poet in Nordic literature. Her debut collection Dikter (Poems, 1916) is considered to be the beginning of the strong modernist tradition in Finland’s Swedish-language poetry. She was influenced by German Expressionism, French Symbolism and Russian Futurism and in 1919 became the first European woman to publish a literary manifesto. Södergran published four collections of poetry and a collection of aphorisms. Her collection Landet som icke är (The Land That is Not, 1925) was published posthumously. She is one of Finland’s best known and most translated writers and one of the most widely read poets in the Nordic region. Edith Södergran Dikter och aforismer (Poems and Aphorisms) Successive generations have absorbed Edith Södergran’s poems. The paperback edition of Dikter och aphorismer contains all of her Swedish-language work, while the hardcover edition also contains the German-language poems she wrote in her youth. hardback: 376 pp., 1990, ISBN 951-9018-61-1 paperback: 361 pp., 2014, ISBN 978-951-583-278-8 Scholarly editions The Writings of Zacharias Topelius (Zacharias Topelius Skrifter) Z acharias Topelius (1818–1898) was an author, newspaper editor, social activist and university professor. His work, spanning seven decades, is a written monument to nineteenth century Finland, and is unique in its scope. His literary output was exceptionally versatile and included historical novels, poems, hymns, newspaper articles, short stories and school textbooks. SLS is publishing Topelius’s printed works and other literary remains in ­a scholarly and annotated edition that also includes letters, diaries and lectures. The project was begun in 2005, and a large share of the works will be published before the bicentenary of Topelius’s birth in 2018. Each volume of the edition is accompanied by an introduction highlighting the background to the texts and their importance both for present-day readers and for posterity. The edition is digital, but an extensive selection is also being published in print. The online edition is available for free use at www.topelius.fi. Illustration by Carl Larsson for Zacharias Topelius’s fairytale play Fågel Blå (Blue Bird), from Läsning för barn (the Readings for Children series). History of literature Finlands svenska litteratur 1900–2012 (Finland’s Swedish literature 1900–2012) ed. Michel Ekman Literature written in Swedish has a long tradition in Finland, and during much of the nineteenth century it dominated the literary scene. Since the early twentieth century Swedish literature in Finland has more or less acquired the status of a minority literature, and exists in parallel with the majority literature written in Finnish. Prominent names among Finland’s Swedish-language writers include Edith Södergran, Tove Jansson, Bo Carpelan, Märta Tikkanen, Kjell Westö and Monika Fagerholm. How and why did Swedish literature in Finland become Finland-Swedish? The book follows the development of Finland-Swedish literature from its new beginnings and the rise of the modernists in the first two decades of the twentieth century to the writers ­ of today. 376 pp., 2014, ISBN 978-951-583-272-6 A German edition is published in collaboration with BuchKunst Kleinheinrich: Finnlands schwedische Literatur 1900–2012 ISBN 978-951-583-289-4 Helsingfors i ord och bild – Huvudstaden kring sekelskiftet 1900 (Helsinki in words and pictures – The capital at the turn of the century, 1900) ed. Lari Assmuth, Anne-May Berger, Nora Ervalahti & Marika Rosenström In the late nineteenth century Finland’s capital Helsinki underwent many changes wrought by urbanization and industrialization. Life in the growing city was documented by a number of talented amateur photographers. The writers of that time found inspiration in an urban environment that was both fascinating and frightening. An evocative blend of photographs and literary quotations from Helsinki in the period from 1880 to 1910. 176 pages, 2012, ISBN 978-951-583-257-3 History Henrika Tandefelt Borgå 1809 – ceremoni och fest (Porvoo 1809 – ceremony and celebration) Nils Erik Villstrand Furstar och folk Åbo 1812 (Princes and people, Turku 1812) The Napoleonic Wars redrew the map of Europe. One of the consequences was that Finland, which had previously been part of the Swedish kingdom, ­became an autonomous part of the Russian Empire. Tsar Alexander I met his new subjects for the first time in Porvoo in 1809. During a solemn parliamentary session with associated ceremonies and celebrations, the new order was consolidated. Another meeting took place in Turku in 1812 – between Alexander I and the Swedish Crown Prince Karl Johan, about whom the people were curious: Would he reunite the kingdom? The main political significance of the meeting lay in the two princes’ agreement to join forces in fighting Napoleon’s army, while the cornerstone of Sweden’s new foreign policy was laid. Tandefelt: 187 pp., 2009, ISBN 978-951-583-175-0 Villstrand: 167 pp., 2012, ISBN 978-951-583-251-1 Max Engman Gränsfall Utväxlingar och gränstrafik på Karelska näset 1918–1920 (Borderline case. Exchanges and border traffic on the Karelian Isthmus 1918–1920) A book about secret contacts between Finland, Soviet Russia and the wider world during the turbulent years after the Russian Revolution and Finland’s Declaration of Independence in 1917. Formally a state of war existed between the two countries until 1920. The border zone was in principle closed, but in practice traffic was brisk – secret negotiations took place, prisoners and hostages were exchanged, military personnel, politicians, diplomats and agents passed to and fro. 540 pp., 2008, ISBN 978-951-583-148-4 Kari Tarkiainen Sveriges Österland Från forntiden till Gustav Vasa Finlands svenska historia 1 (Sweden’s Eastland. From antiquity to Gustav Vasa, Finland’s Swedish history vol. 1) Nils-Erik Villstrand Riksdelen Stormakt och rikssprängning 1560–1812 Finlands svenska historia 2 (A part of the realm. Great power and breakup 1560–1812 Finland’s Swedish history vol. 2) Finland and Sweden have a long shared history. What is now Finland was part of the Swedish kingdom for six hundred years until 1809, and Finland still has a Swedish-speaking minority. The series Finland’s Swedish history describes how the country’s society, politics, economy, settlement, language situation, church and culture have been affected by Swedish influences since the Middle Ages. The first volume in the series deals with the period leading up the consoli­ dation of the Swedish kingdom under King Gustav Vasa in the mid-sixteenth century, when Finland – initially known as Österland, the “Eastland” – became an integral part of the kingdom. The second volume begins in the 1560s, when Sweden made its entrance as a Baltic power and eventually became a European great power. This volume goes up to 1812, the year when in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars Sweden finally renounced its claims to Finland, which had been lost to Russia in 1809. Volume 3 deals with how the language question – the ever-growing importance of Finnish in the emerging national movement and the gradually increasing linguistic awareness among the Swedish-speaking population – permeated the development of society during the nineteenth century, when Finland was a Grand Duchy under Russia. Swedish was the country’s official language until the 1860s, when a language law stated that Finnish should have equal status with Swedish. Meanwhile the Church had functioned in both national languages since the Reformation. This volume ends in 1922, when as a new, independent republic Finland acquired a new language law that guaranteed equal rights to both language groups. The fourth and final instalment in the series describes the position of Swedish from 1922 until the early 2000s, with the rise and waning of language conflicts, and the linguistic separation of organizations in most areas of society. However, the period was also marked by a stronger Nordic orientation at a collective level and by increasing bilingualism at an individual one. This trend reflects the political circumstances that affected the whole of Finland’s development during the twentieth century. Volumes 3 and 4 will appear in Swedish in 2015. Tarkiainen: 334 pp., 2008, ISBN 978-951-583-155-2 Villstrand: 416 pp., 2009, ISBN 978-951-583-184-2 Forthcoming: Max Engman, Språkfrågan 1812–1922, Finlands svenska historia 3 (The language question 1812–1922, Finland’s Swedish history vol. 3) Forthcoming: Henrik Meinander, Finlandssvenska kontexter efter 1922, Finlands svenska historia 4 (Finland-Swedish contexts after 1922, Finland’s Swedish history vol. 4) Journeys in distant lands R.F. Sahlberg En resa kring jorden 1839–1843. Anteckningar från Sydamerika, Alaska och Sibirien (A journey around the world, 1839– 1843. Notes from South America, Alaska and Siberia) Edited by Patricia Berg The Helsinki naturalist R. F. Sahlberg planned to travel to Brazil to collect natural specimens for his research and for the university. But on the way he was persuaded to accompany the ship to Sitka in Alaska, which was then a part of Russia. There he served for a year as a doctor before beginning his journey home – via Siberia. Throughout his entire world trip he kept a detailed diary for his fiancée, who awaited him at home. 531 p, 2007, ISBN 978-951-583-154-5 C.F. Hornstedt Brev från Batavia. En resa till Ostindien 1782–1786 (Letters from Batavia. A journey to the East Indies 1782–1786) Edited by Christina Granroth with Patricia Berg and Maren Jonasson Inspired by Linnaus, the botanist and physician C. F. Hornstedt travelled to Java in order to collect natural history specimens. In addition to descriptions of nature his letters from the journey also contain observations on the social life of colonial Batavia and colourful depictions of the city’s Chinese population, especially their religious feasts, music and theatre. The letters are addressed to his teacher, the Linnaeus disciple C.P. Thunberg. 418 pp., 2008, ISBN 978-951-583-160-6 The neighbour in the south Kari Tarkiainen & Ülle Tarkiainen Provinsen bortom havet Estlands svenska historia 1561–1710 (The province across the sea. Estonia’s Swedish history 1561–1710) Estonia was a Swedish province for nearly 150 years, a period that coincided with Sweden’s era as a great power. In the Baltic provinces this period was marked by recurrent wars, famines and epidemics of plague. At the same time society developed through reforms in education, the Church, justice and agriculture. The authors balance a Swedish perspective with an Estonian and a Baltic German one. How did the Swedes wish to shape this province on the other side of the Baltic Sea, what did Swedish rule mean to the serfs on the estates of the Baltic German nobility, and how did the nobility behave towards the Swedish authorities? The Swedish period in Estonian history re- ceives a vivid portrayal that is based on recent Estonian, Swedish and Finnish research in the field. 379 pp., 2013, ISBN 978-951-583-265-8 The lives of artists Helene Schjerfbeck Och jag målar ändå Brev till Maria Wiik 1907–1928 (And still I paint. Letters to Maria Wiik 1907–1928) Edited by Lena Holger Jean Sibelius Dagbok 1909–1944 (Diary 1909–1944) Edited by Fabian Dahlström The composer Jean Sibelius and his musical life’s work appear in a new light in his highly personal diary. The extensive notes and commentary are by Professor Emeritus Fabian Dahlström, who has previously published the definitive annotated catalogue of Sibelius’s works and is principal editor of the critical edition of Sibelius’s complete works. 555 pp., 2005, ISBN 951-583-125-3 Tomi Mäkelä Friedrich Pacius Ein deutscher Komponist in Finnland Mit einer Edition der Tagebücher, Briefe und Arbeitsmaterialien von Silke Bruns Friedrich (Frederick) Pacius, born in Hamburg, 1809, had more influence on Nordic cultural life than any other German composer. His setting of J.L. Runeberg’s Vårt Land (Maamme, Our land) became Finland’s national anthem. Pacius also wrote the music for the first Finnish opera, Kung Karls jakt (The hunt of King Charles), with libretto by Zacharias Topelius. The book includes a biography of Pacius and a selection of his letters and diaries in an annotated edition. Circa 550 pp., 2014, ISBN: 978-951-583-279-5 (Finland) ISBN: 978-3-487-15111-3 (Germany) Published in German in collaboration with Georg Olms Verlag Nowadays Helene Schjerfbeck’s ­paintings fetch millions of euros at auctions across Europe. But her French-­ influenced, impressionistic work found little comprehension in early twentieth century Finland, where art was influenced by the national romanticism of the time. In her letters to her fellow artist and friend Maria Wiik we can share her thoughts about her painting, other artists, her search for models, her reading experiences, her yearning for France and her longing to escape, but also on subjects like famine, cold and loneliness. 301 p, 2011, ISBN 978-951-583-233-7 S o c i e t y o f S w e d i s h L i t e r at u r e i n f i nl a n d Society of Swedish Literature in Finland Post Box 158 FI-00171 Helsinki FINLAND [email protected] +358 9 618 777 Foreign rights Liisa Hakamies-Blomqvist Head of Publishing [email protected] +358 9 618 775 55 +358 40 547 96 04 www.sls.fi Society of Swedish Literature in Finland